Have you ever dreamed of roaming the Mojave Wasteland, a lone gunfighter with a trusty six-shooter, dispensing justice (or chaos) with every shot? The world of *Fallout: New Vegas* offers that experience, allowing you to embrace the spirit of the Wild West in a post-apocalyptic setting. This guide will walk you through building the ultimate cowboy in the game, providing you with everything you need to know to become a rootin’ tootin’ legend of the Mojave.
This isn’t just about picking a hat and a revolver; it’s about creating a character that embodies the grit, the determination, and the iconic style of a true cowboy. Forget power armor and energy weapons, we’re focusing on classic firearms, cunning tactics, and a whole lot of rugged individualism. Get ready to saddle up and ride into the sunset!
Character Creation: Forging Your Wasteland Legend
The foundation of any successful build lies in character creation. This is where you’ll determine your character’s initial strengths and weaknesses, setting the stage for your journey across the arid landscapes of the Mojave. Every decision you make here will impact your gameplay experience, so let’s explore the best options for crafting a formidable cowboy.
Special Stats: The Heart of the Cowboy
Your Special stats are the cornerstone of your character, dictating their capabilities in various areas. Choosing the right spread is vital for a successful cowboy build.
Strength: This stat is crucial for carrying capacity, allowing you to haul around all those guns, ammo, and supplies you’ll need. It also affects your melee damage, which, while not the primary focus, is helpful for those close-quarters encounters. Aim for a decent Strength score.
Perception: This is your accuracy stat. Higher Perception equals better accuracy with ranged weapons, meaning you’ll be landing more shots on target. It also plays a role in VATS (Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System), providing better chances to hit in combat, and critical hit chance. For a cowboy, good Perception is critical.
Endurance: Endurance governs your health, and your resistance to radiation and poisons, and overall your ability to survive. A higher Endurance means more hit points, which is essential in a world where every bullet counts.
Charisma: Charisma has its uses, but for this build, it’s not quite as important as other stats. High Charisma is helpful when completing quests related to dialogue.
Intelligence: Intelligence is used when it comes to skills, this stat helps with certain perks and options. It is another stat that can be left a little lower.
Agility: This stat impacts your Action Points (AP), which is directly linked to your ability to move, aim, and fire in VATS. For a gunslinger, the more AP you have, the more shots you can get off in a critical moment.
Luck: Luck has a huge influence on critical hit chance. A character with high luck is going to deal more critical hits.
Consider a starting Special distribution that looks something like this:
- Strength: 6
- Perception: 8
- Endurance: 6
- Charisma: 3
- Intelligence: 4
- Agility: 7
- Luck: 6
This distribution balances survivability, accuracy, and the ability to make quick decisions in combat. Adjust these values to your personal preference, but remember, you’ll be relying on a ranged combat style, so Perception and Agility are key.
Skills: Mastering the Gunslinger’s Art
Skills represent your character’s practical knowledge and abilities. Focus on skills that complement your role as a gunslinger.
Guns: This skill is, without a doubt, the most important for a cowboy. It directly governs your accuracy and damage with firearms. Level this skill as often as possible, prioritizing it above all others.
Melee Weapons: While the core of the build is ranged combat, having some proficiency in melee weapons can save you in a pinch. A melee weapon can be good in close-range encounters.
Survival: Staying alive in the wasteland is tough. Survival skills helps with crafting food, healing items, and is a good choice to level up.
Lockpick/Science/Speech: These skills are useful to unlock certain perks and options that will help in your adventures, but are not a necessity to be a cowboy.
Traits: Defining Your Wasteland Identity
Traits are special character characteristics that provide unique advantages and disadvantages. Choose traits that enhance your strengths and mitigate your weaknesses.
Some viable traits to consider include:
- Built to Destroy: Increased weapon damage, but weapons degrade faster.
- Trigger Discipline: Reduced AP cost in VATS, and better accuracy.
Essential Perks: Honing Your Skills
Perks are special abilities you unlock as you level up, providing a significant boost to your combat effectiveness and overall survivability. The perks you choose will define your character. Here are some essential perks for the cowboy build.
Guns Focused Perks
Gunslinger/Quick Draw: These are essential perks for a gunslinger. They increase your drawing speed and AP efficiency.
Cowboy: This is the keystone perk for your build, offering a significant damage boost when using “cowboy” weapons.
Hand-Loader: Create your own ammo
Jury Rigging: Repair weapons efficiently
Survival and Utility Perks
Survival Expert: Essential for creating food and healing items.
Strong Back/Pack Rat: Increases your carrying capacity.
Optional Perks
Grim Reaper’s Sprint: If you use VATS frequently, this perk can be incredibly powerful, allowing you to regain Action Points with each kill during VATS.
Weapons and Armor: Equipping the Gunslinger
The right weapons and armor are essential for any successful gunslinger. Your arsenal and protective gear will reflect your dedication to the cowboy lifestyle.
Iconic Cowboy Weapons: A Gunslinger’s Arsenal
Rifles: Cowboy Repeater, Trail Carbine, Brush Gun. These are the long-range weapons of the cowboy, capable of delivering high damage at a distance.
Revolvers: .44 Magnum Revolver, Ranger Sequoia, Mysterious Magnum. These are classic sidearms, powerful in their own right and great for quickdraw situations.
Shotguns: Hunting Shotgun, Riot Shotgun. While perhaps not the *most* “cowboy” weapon, a sawed-off shotgun can give you some much-needed close-range firepower.
Be sure to look for weapon modifications that boost your weapon’s performance. For example, a scope for your rifle or a faster reload speed for your revolver.
Armor and Clothing: Style and Protection
Cowboy-themed Clothing: Dusters, hats, and bandanas are perfect for roleplaying. They won’t provide much in the way of protection, but they’re essential for the look.
Light Armor: Consider light armor options, such as the Merc Adventurer Outfit, or other light armor pieces to provide some protection without hindering your mobility.
Gameplay Strategies and Combat Tactics: Mastering the Gunslinging Arts
With your character created and equipped, it’s time to head out into the Mojave Wasteland. How you approach combat is key to survival and success.
Combat Styles: Choosing Your Approach
Ranged Combat: Your primary goal is to eliminate enemies from a distance. Use cover, utilize the environment to your advantage, and carefully aim your shots.
Mix of Ranged and Close Quarters: You can mix ranged and close quarters. If enemies close the distance, have a sidearm like a revolver for quick draw.
Using VATS: Targeting Your Enemies
The Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System (VATS) can be a powerful asset, but be mindful of its limitations.
VATS can be used to target specific body parts (headshots are always a good choice) to increase your chances of hitting the target.
High Agility means you will be able to get more shots off in VATS.
Certain perks will make VATS much more effective.
Resource Management: Conserving Ammo and Healing
Ammo Conservation: Choosing your shots wisely. Don’t waste ammo.
Healing Items: Use stimpaks when needed.
Roleplaying and Immersion: Living the Cowboy Life
The cowboy build is not just about stats and perks; it’s about embodying a persona. Embracing this role will enhance your enjoyment of the game.
Faction Choices: Walking the Road
Goodsprings: A natural starting point for a good-aligned cowboy, the town is a place of refuge.
NCR: The New California Republic, a faction known for its pursuit of law and order, is another good choice.
Independent/Yes Man: For those wanting to make their own destiny, this is a unique option.
Legion: Not a natural fit, but a possibility.
Dialogue Choices: Talking the Talk
Embrace the cowboy persona in dialogue. Use slang, be direct, and stay true to your character’s personality.
Quest Recommendations: Setting Out On Your Journey
Consider quests that have a strong Western theme or that simply fit your character’s goals.
Pros and Cons of the Cowboy Build
Advantages
- Fun and thematic gameplay, perfect for roleplaying.
- Effective at dealing damage at range.
- High burst damage potential with critical hits and VATS.
Disadvantages
- Limited close-range combat if you don’t put points into melee weapons.
- Can be vulnerable at low levels without enough health or armor.
- Needs to manage ammo.
Conclusion
The Cowboy build in *Fallout: New Vegas* is a fantastic and exciting way to experience the Mojave Wasteland. By focusing on gunslinging prowess, gritty survival skills, and a healthy dose of roleplaying, you can become a legend.
If you’re looking for a refreshing way to play *Fallout: New Vegas* and are tired of the usual power armor builds, consider embracing the Cowboy Build.
